Explore Effective Ways of Optimizing Videos for Search
It is surely an understatement to say that videos online are a phenomenon. YouTube users are known to upload 500 hours of content every minute, and the platform is known to stream 5 billion videos every day. As per Inc, online video content is used for bolstering the search engine ranking of your website and driving more traffic. Yet, people are not aware of effective ways to go about it. As per the reports of a recent study conducted by Forrester Research, videos seem to be 53X more probable to come up with a first-page ranking as compared to conventional SEO techniques or web pages for receiving organic first-page rankings.
Acquiring a higher rank with online video on search is very much related to your website’s authority, the extent to which it is video-focused, and precisely how it gets a ranking for the video-associated queries. Remember that video search is evolving steadily hence, it is a wise idea to stay updated on the present optimization best practices. Also visit guide to know more.
Opt for the Perfect Video Hosting Platform
You have two options for hosting videos online. You may opt for hosting videos on your site or third-party sites like YouTube. Your goals and objectives will help in determining the perfect choice. If your focus is on maximizing overall video views and just in case you seem to derive value from those views, you should opt for third-party sites like YouTube because it boasts of the largest built-in traffic.
However, just in case your objective is to leverage videos to attract and drive potential clients to your website or boost the volume of search referrals of your website, then it is a wise idea to opt for hosting your video on your own. Are you thinking of optimizing your videos online for gaining new leads and site traffic? Or are you more interested in establishing brand awareness and thought leadership?
If you are not bothered too much about driving traffic to your official site and are far more determined about building general brand awareness, Vimeo and YouTube could be the best options to consider. The problem with these platforms is that when your videos are indexed, the majority of the traffic will be going to these platforms instead of going to your official website. Often your potential website visitors seem to get drowned because of competing traffic such as, suggested videos that seem to come up after your video on YouTube.
Suggested Videos
Suggested videos are supposed to be a personalized assortment of videos that a person may be interested in next, depending on her or his prior activity. According to the findings of some studies conducted by YouTube, viewers often feel like watching more videos once they come across recommendations from diverse channels. Suggested videos entice viewers to watch them. Recommendations seem to be ranked for maximizing engagement. Some vital signals contributing to all these suggestions include:
· Videos that are watched by the viewers, simultaneously with the current videos that seem to be topically related. All these videos may be from the same platform or some other channel.
· Click on a box showing ‘Suggested Videos’ to assess which videos would be driving viewers to your platform.
Video Optimization Tips for Suggested Videos
· Start by making robust calls-to-action for encouraging viewers to consider watching another video that is present in your series.
· Long endings may end up delaying and discouraging viewers from seeing more. Hence, be careful about the way your videos end.
· Consider using links, end screens, playlists, and cards for suggesting the next video.
· Focus on developing intriguing series of organically-connected videos.
· Focus on making videos associated with popular formats like lists and challenges on YouTube.
Ultimately, you may expect to see Google rolling out some related topics for YouTube videos.
Consider Using a Transcription Service
Google is not able to view a video or understand its content as such. It is a wise idea to include a text transcript along with your videos. A text transcript proves to be a fantastic tool for letting the video sites like YouTube and most importantly, the search engines know more about your video content through the text. You have the option of manually typing up a transcript then uploading it straightaway to the video service with your specific video. Alternatively, you have the option of using an automated transcription service for doing it on your behalf.
Use a Compelling & Engaging Thumbnail Image
The video thumbnail is known to play a pivotal role in determining if people will be clicking to see the video. The searcher will get to see the video thumbnail when the video is indexed. You may focus on using a compelling thumbnail image that seems similar to the homepage of your official website or your book cover. It is mandatory to have a relevant, engaging, and eye-catching thumbnail picture. You may remember that your video thumbnail certainly is far more crucial than your title simply because it will be determining whether people will click or not do so.
Moreover, please ensure that your video thumbnail is relevant to the precise thing you are hoping to rank for. Thumbnails and titles are generally the first things you will be seeing while browsing on the popular YouTube platform. Thumbnails and titles together assist viewers to take the right decision to view your videos and accordingly build anticipation. The longer you can engage and hold the audience’s attention on YouTube; eventually more video content will be surfacing.
Optimization Tips for Your Titles
· Compose titles that help in sparking curiosity. It is a good idea to include keywords.
· Titles should be compact and compelling. It should have just 60 characters and with the most vital information upfront.
· It pays to focus on saving branding and episode numbers.
Optimization Tips for Your Thumbnails
- It is a good idea to focus on your thumbnail before you start shooting for catching numerous options.
- Use a high-resolution thumbnail.
- Zoom out and zoom in on your thumbnail for examining if it looks large enough or too small.
- Make sure that your thumbnail steals the show among other thumbnails.
Conclusion
It is crucial to keep in mind that SEO is not trustworthy. Google seems to be modifying and changing its algorithmsnow and then. Video will evolve at lightning speed. However, depending on search bots for ranking your videos may not prove to be a consistent stratagem for guaranteeing video viewership.
